


A Crow's Hunt

by KayaniAmber



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-08
Updated: 2018-12-08
Packaged: 2019-09-14 09:38:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16910523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KayaniAmber/pseuds/KayaniAmber
Summary: This is in response to a prompt that popped up in Discord: A cracked mirror, a fixed point, and a broken heart.A restructuring of the final confrontation with Taliesen in Dragon Age: Origins.





	A Crow's Hunt

Alistair watched a man standing outside the door to Darian's room in Arl Eamon's estate in Denerim with his back mostly to Alistair. He had a tea tray in his hands, but Alistair had never seen this man in his life. Eamon was talking to him, but Alistair didn't hear him.

“That's not a servant,” Alistair interjected, not taking his eyes off the man, nodding to the other side of the hall. He'd been there for nearly a minute, watching through a crack in Darian's mostly-closed door. Eamon took a good look.

“You're right, he isn't,” Eamon confirmed quietly. “A friend of Darian's? He grew up here, didn't he?”

“In the alienage.” Something was off. They'd already eaten, and Darian never had tea this late in the day unless Zevran was with him, but the assassin was still downstairs as far as Alistair knew. The black haired man poured something from a vial into the teapot. “Eamon, I'm going to have to owe you one tea set,” he quietly mused. Grabbing his sword and shield, Alistair slowly, and quietly, made his way across the hall.

********

Zevran, Leliana, Oghren, and Wynne closed out their hand of Wicked Grace.

“You win again, Wynne. Well done,” Zevran congratulated her. 

He suddenly fell silent, his head snapping up and around. _I know that smell. Antivan cologne. The same one favored by Tal..._ He quietly stood, peered into the hallway, and saw a black-haired human man in servant's clothing heading up the ramp to the upper floor. Carrying a tea tray in his hands, he pulled a vial out of a pocket and set it on the tray. Zevran's heart sank.

_Darian._

“Zevran?” Leliana asked, coming up behind him.

“Get your weapons,” he growled. Shrouding himself in smoke, Zevran ran to the kitchen, retrieved his daggers, and made his way up the ramp, coating his daggers with poison as he went.

********

There was a sharp knock at his door. A servant walked in holding a tray of tea. Darian gave the man a confused look. He hadn't ordered any tea from the kitchen. 

“Tea for you, Ser,” the man stated, setting the tray down on a table near the door. 

Over the man's shoulder, Darian saw Alistair, sword and shield in hand, surrounded by the distinct blue and white swirl of a Holy Smite. Darian brought his shield up to his chest and grabbed his sword. A small throwing dagger flew out from the human's hand and bounced off the elf's shield. Another flew towards Darian, and this time he dodged to the side, the dagger crashing into the mirror behind him, shattering it and sticking into the wall. Blue-white light filled the room as Alistair's smite landed, bringing Taliesen to his knees. His shoulder slumped forward as Leliana landed an arrow in his back. Zevran appeared behind him, glaring, and slashed the sides of his neck, severing the arteries. He would still die, but at least Zevran could get answers first. Zevran waved off the rest of the party, pulling Leliana's arrow out of Taliesen's back. Zevran laid him on his back on the stone, his knee on his former lover's chest and a dagger across his throat. 

“Sloppy, even for you, Taliesen,” Zevran spat, glaring at the human. “Had you checked with Ignacio, you would know that Warden Tabris is no longer under contract.” 

Alistair took a step forward and stepped on Taliesen's wrist as he reached for a dagger at his hip.

“He was never the target,” Taliesen admitted, his head swimming. “Grandmaster Eoman sent me to bring you back to Antiva.” He was beginning to hyperventilate. With his free hand, Taliesen had managed to get an acid flask into his hand, which was being helpfully concealed by Zevran's leg. “It's...” he coughed and grinned at Zevran, “it's been a...long time...since I had...you on top...of me...like this,” he purred, or tried to. 

Zevran's glare turned into a scowl as he brought his weight onto the knee he had on Taliesen's chest. His leg had moved just enough that Sten saw the flask out of the corner of his eye. With a roar, he brought Asala up and charged up the ramp. Zevran rolled out of the way just in time before Sten brought the sword down hard into Taliesen's chest. The bones caved in under the blow and blood flew everywhere as his heart exploded. The flask rolled out of the dead man's hand and into Leliana's waiting hands a few feet down the ramp.

“Darian?” Wynne asked.

“Is fine,” Zevran spat. He'd not intended to be harsh with the older mage, and she nodded at him with an understanding look. He'd apologize to her later.

“We'll get this cleaned up,” Alistair offered, nodding to Sten. The two warriors dragged the dead rogue down the ramp and the rest of the party dispersed. 

Numbly, Zevran walked over to the pool of blood on the floor and fell to his knees. He set his daggers on the floor and held a hand out towards Darian, who had come up beside him. 

“Are you okay?” the copper-haired elf asked gently, sitting next to the blonde elf. 

“No,” Zevran admitted. “He was my lover once, just as you are now.”

Darian studied the dark red pool on the floor and slowly nodded.

“Remind me to never make you angry,” he playfully remarked with a slight smirk.

Zevran chuckled, giving Darian's hand an affectionate squeeze.

“No, mi amor,” he sighed, motioning to the pool on the floor. “This is a fate I will never bring to you. But, now I am free of the Crows. They will assume I died with him.” Zevran looked into Darian's turquoise eyes. “Now what do I do now that I am no longer being hunted? I will not abandon you, I simply do not know what comes after your dragon is dead.” 

“Whatever happens, I hope you'll stay with me.”

“For as long as you'll have me, my dearest Warden.”

********


End file.
